The
Queensland Footy Forensics is a group for anyone interested in the
history of Australian Rules football – both in Queensland and nationally
– whether it happened last season or a hundred seasons ago.

Launched in March 2012, the group grew out of the former Queensland
Australian Football Historical Society, which was formed in 2008.
Learn more about us and our goals here.

News

Q150

2016
marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of Australian Football in
Queensland. We’re producing a publication recording the history of
our game and would love you to become involved.

Our Products page
has recently been updated with several football publications which you may
not be aware of. Check them out here.

Older News

Launch of the Forensics

On
the evening of 30th March 2012 a group of enthusiastic footy fans attended
the launch of the Queensland Australian Football Forensics at the Pineapple
Hotel at Kangaroo Point in Brisbane. The new Chief Executive Officer of AFL Queensland, Michael
Conlan, kindly gave of his time to be in attendance to meet guests.

Forensics’ members Greg Parker and Robert Allen told the guests that the
first footy club in Queensland was formed in 1866, and despite the game
having a long, rich history in the state, very little of it had been
formally recorded. The primary goal of the Forensics - to document the
history of the game, be it last season or a hundred seasons ago - was
explained. By sharing information, resources and ideas amongst fellow
researchers, by promoting both the game and an appreciation of the game’s
history, and by providing forums for the gathering of like-minded footy fans
- whether lovers of the social side of things or the game’s history itself
- guests were enlightened as to how the Forensics intend to reach their
goals, and in so doing help others reach theirs. Guest speakers at future
functions would add colour and interest.

For helping to make the evening a success, thanks were given to Michael
Conlan, Katy of the Pineapple Hotel, Spencer Howson of 612 ABC radio, Lisa
McKoy and Craig Millar of AFL Queensland, Mark ‘The Ear’ Oberhardt of
The Courier-Mail and John Harms of the Almanackers website.

Football author Greg de Moore’s talk

Greg de Moore
was our special guest speaker at Brisbane’s Pineapple Hotel on the evening of 23rd April 2012. Greg, a Sydney psychiatrist by profession, is the acclaimed author of the biography of the first hero of
Australian rules football, Tom Wills. The book was short-listed for numerous awards including the National Biography Award. Greg also
co-authored A National Game and spoke at the Sydney Writers’ Festival.

Greg spoke extremely well and his passion about the influence Tom Wills had on the sporting landscape in Australia shone through. He’s also clearly
passionate about Australian history generally, and is bemused by the apparent lack of pride that we as a nation have about that
history.

Football Cigarette Cards Talk

On
the evening of 9th July 2012 at the Pineapple Hotel, Footy Forensics member
Robert Allen gave a short informative presentation on one of his loves,
pre-World War I football cigarette cards. Cigarette cards have a very long
history and provide a unique insight into the players of their time, both
informatively and pictorially. They are often highly valued, and many fans
are avid collectors. Robert’s excellent talk was of an informal nature,
and questions and discussion were welcomed.

Launch of ‘The Tigers: From Glory to Heartbreak’

Congratulations to Forensics member Bob Gower
who launched his wonderful history of the Mayne Football Club on 24th
October 2012 at the Breakfast Creek Hotel. Attended by some 200
guests, the success of the launch was a fitting reward for Bob, who had
spent over four years of intensive research, including hundreds of
interviews, in compiling the book. Proceeds from the sales of ‘The
Tigers: From Glory to Heartbreak’ are going to charity. If you’d
like more information, you may contact Bob directly by email here.

Launch of Volume 1 of ‘Origins of Australian Football:
Victoria’s Early History’

On the evening of 8th November
2012 at the Pineapple Hotel, we celebrated the
Brisbane launch of Mark Pennings’ new book, ‘Origins of Australian
Football: Victoria’s Early History’. This first of four volumes is
subtitled ‘Amateur Heroes and the Rise of Clubs, 1858 to 1876’.

The series of four volumes discusses the origins of Australian football as it
evolved in Victoria between 1858 and 1896. This first volume addresses
its very beginnings as an amateur sport and the rise of the first clubs.

Launch of Volume 2 of ‘Origins of Australian Football:
Victoria’s Early History’

On the evening of 29th October 2014 at
Woolloongabba’s Red Brick Hotel, we celebrated the
Brisbane launch of Mark Pennings’ second volume in his series ‘Origins of Australian
Football: Victoria’s Early History’. Volume 2 is
subtitled ‘A Golden Era Begins: Football in ‘Marvellous Melbourne’,
1877 to 1885’.

This second volume addresses the formation of the Victorian Football
Association and the maturation of the game.

The evening of 11th June 2015 saw the
Brisbane launch of Murray Bird’s ‘Athenians and Red
Invincibles’ which tells the story of the beginnings of football in Queensland
in 1866. It was a time when Queenslanders played by the Rules – the
Australian Rules. After a bitter football war in Brisbane, Queenslander’s
choice of codes was set for the next 130 years…

The Melbourne launch of the book was held on 18th June
2015 at theRoyal Melbourne Hotel.

The
website aims to keep you up-to-date with all Forensics goings-on including
details of any upcoming functions or book launches, as well as some of the
current history projects being undertaken by members. If you’d like
to get involved with the Forensics or simply like more information, please contact
us.

The objectives of the Forensics can be found on this
page. When the formal charter has been finalised it will be
included on the site.

A little of the history of the game in Queensland can be found here,
and different ways to get involved in the game can be found here.

Thank You

Thank
you to AFL Queensland for their great assistance during the Forensics’
formative period.